(South) Traditional Monarchy
(South) The King's Table
Raegos is a province of the continent Akasia. For the past 4 centuries, Morthandrian Trade groups, primarily the Raetoji Firm, have existed and made their home prominently in the province. Backed by military power, they are essentially the ruling group of the nation, despite not being its natives. The only place this doesn't hold true is in the Southern Anjar Mountains, the Kingdom of Martya Takajamos, the so-called "Last King of Raegos".
Geography[]
Raegos is a mostly temperate province, with some sub-tropic jungles, rainforests, and mountainous terrain. It borders Valatius to the west and Swazila to the south. To the North, its coast faces the Great Eastern Channel. To the East, it faces Beetlehorn Bay.
History[]
Trade Groups (Modern/1734-Current)[]
In 1E 1734, Morthandria explorer Tymories sailed around the southern point of Akasia and rediscovered the land of Raegos, a place Auros hadn't had contact with in a number of years. In the journals Tymories brought back to Auros, he revealed there were enormous supplies of precious stones in Raegos' hills, and that the people seemed wary, but not guarded. This revelation created a huge impact in Morthandrian trade circles, as they had long been denied the precious gems and jewels in Temaria's mountains, and such had a limited supply for profit. In 1750, the first Trade league combined their resources to fund a fleet to set out to Raegos. Upon arrival, they were greeted with suspicion, but the Raegosi were hopeful to find some kind of new partner in the world. It wouldn't pan out on such friendly terms, as the Trade Leagues journeyed inland to find the reservoirs of stones they had come for.
It took 13 years of exploration to discover any sort of deposit, and by that time many of the Trade groups had instead settled for the valuable real estate along the Great Channel, rather than chase after elusive gems. During these 13 years of settling Raegos, the Rajau (King) of Raegos' suspicions about these intrusive merchants were alleviated by clever diplomacy on the part of the Trade groups and Guildmaster Tacius Larys, as they gave him a cut of profit from trading on the channel and opened up supply lines to Auros, a valuable asset to his Kingdom. During this time, other western trade groups also moved to cut in on the valuable opportunity, but Morthandria still reigned supreme in that area.
With the discovery of the gems, things changed. The Morthandrian Emperor-King Valadyn I became excited about new revenue and land, and with the Trade groups he negotiated a contract for Military aid in return for a share of the profits. Red-sailed ships, stocked with Extarius Legionaries, made headway for Raegos, with orders to establish their power in the new land once they hit ground. The arrival of these soldiers was met with rioting from outraged Raegosi and the Raegosi government. The rioters were cut through by the Morthandrian soldiers, until the port cities they had arrived in were laid waste with blood. So secure became their control over these cities that the Royal troops of Raegos couldn't counter-attack and recapture the harbors. A feast was called by the Trade Groups with the Rajau of Raegos, Toke Barahbas, intended for working out the dispute and restoring peace. Morthandrian Excursitories entered the feast mid-way through the third course and slit the Rajau's neck. The blood surging from his throat spilled over the grilled crab on his plate as he slumped to the table. A supposedly peaceful feast had become a bloodbath, and the Trade groups left their meals to take their new hold over the country. The last Rajau of the Barahbas dynasty died that night, and the Monarchy of Raegos fell into complete ruin. Morthandria had crippled the province.
The Trade Groups now had control over the coastal province with their military backbone, and installed a Governor (Lucius Partarus) to oversee what they had claimed. Treaties were decided upon with Lyoncian and Provostian Trade companies so they also had a share of control, and a new company was formed out of a large merger between several of the original Morthandrian settlers; the Raetoji Firm.
War (1E 1765-1830)[]
Now firmly established in northern Raegos, the Raetoji Firm expanded their efforts. Under Partarus' leadership, they won military victories just south of their original holdings, expanding their influence and affirming their dominance over the north. A new Rajau came to power in central Raegos, Jarabos, who steadfastly set about opposing the Raetoji and their allies. His forces spread across the border of Raetoji land, inhabiting forts and citadels along the way to buffer the onslaught. In 1771, all-out war was declared and announced by the Trade groups to their mother kingdom Morthandria, who, undergoing a period of Economic abundance, moved readily to support it's latest colony. Long-time opposition to Morthandria, the Kingdom of Temaria immediately opposed this, both seeking a new ally and trying to pick away at Morthandrian power. New supply lines were setup from Morthandria and Valatius to Raegos, and were subsequently raided by Temarian strike fleets. Unfortunately for Temaria, it was never able to directly contact the new Rajau, so no alliance was officially cemented.
After a few months of hit-and-run naval tactics, Temaria's strikes did enough to buffer the supply lines that Morthandria moved to further protect them. The now viciously-wealthy Raetoji put out a bounty on Temarian ships, leading to an influx of attacks on Temerian independents and merchants, and hurting the Kingdom economically for several years, as well as serving to stop the attacks on the trade lines.
More of the Legion flooded in Raegos, further subjugating the northern population, which by now was placed under intense scrutiny by the Trade Groups and their soldiers. Martial law was declared briefly in 1774 after a riot in the city square of port-town Anjes, but was revoked when this only served to breed more resentment in the people under their foot. A steady resistance began besides.
In order to streamline decision making-processes, especially in regards to the ground-war steadily simmering, the Trade Groups formed the first Parliament of Raegos, with the heads of the groups sitting at the table. The term Rajman, or, 'People of the Rajau', came into common usage by the Trade Groups to describe their enemies in the south.
In 1775, Lucius Partarus traveled with a group of Legionnaires to a forward fort to observe the defences in the aftermath of a Rajman attack. It turned out to be a trap, and he and his entourage were killed. When he didn't return, the Parliament sent another group to bring back news, but they too perished in the jungles. Utilizing the advantage from the confusion, that night the Rajman burst forward from the fort, attacking the Morthandrian-held river crossing of the Tasah river, and fighting what would come to be known as the Battle of Parloy. The river-fort was taken in the dead of night with few Monarchist casualties, and the Rajman had their first great victory. Rajau Jarabos quickly secured the newly captured terrain with more of his men, and a festival of joy was held in his capital palace. For the people of Raegos, this was the first sign of hope since the day the Morthandrian Legion had arrived, duly christened the Bloody Morning.
Red Summer[]
Unsatisfied with this failure, the Morthandrian Kingdom deliberated on how to respond, and the Senate discussed stratagem and tactics going forward, but they took several months, and it was soon summer. The intended response was a military counter-attack, but not under the leadership of the Trade Groups. Disregarding a warning not to engage until they had received new orders from Morthandria, the Trade Groups, under leadership of Guildmaster Rachus Clavius, sought to deal with the problem decisively and took many of the Raegosi in their cities hostage, threatening mass execution if the Rajman didn't retreat. This message was shouted through horns into the jungle, causing birds to fly in-masse from their perches in the trees as the bellowing sound woke them and fill the morning air.
The Rajman commanders were struck with indecision, worried for the fate of their countrymen, but filled with hate towards the occupiers. One eastern commander sent small teams into one of the threatened cities, Tarjaro, which sucessfully managed infiltration, but failed to free the captives. The situation escalated for them until they were fighting Morthandrians in the streets, and only a few managed to escape. By the next day, nearly 400 Raegosi had been executed in Tarjaro in response. This news created mass hysteria in the neighboring cities, and violent riots broke out. The Rajman forces across the board tried to use the oppourtunity and surged forth to assault multiple cities. The outcome varied, from horrific to pyrrhic. In the more eastern cities, Rajman warriors broke through the gates and rushed the Morthandrians, killing all of the Aurosians they could find even once the soldiers were dead in the street. Immigrant families cowered as the vengeful warriors slew them, and the next morning the gates were lined with the bodies of murdered Trade Officers. In the west, Rajman forces were slaughtered by quicker reaction times and heavier amounts of reinforcements from the Morthandrians. These battles continued, as captured cities saw counter-attack after counter-attack from their enemies. Legionnaries sailed into harbors and had their ships burned, Rajman broke from the jungles and were chopped down by clouds of steel-tipped arrows. By the end of the Summer, the Morthandrians controlled only two more major port cities, and over 300,000 people had savagely died.